𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝 | 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝

20 - [𝙃𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙]

"𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴..."

Georgia repeated that mantra to herself as the floorboards creaked beneath her feet. Going back to the market wasn't an option now, not when they had walked past the home's gates and strayed from the marketplace.

She glanced over her shoulder to spot Hunter through the eye holes of her silver mask, his golden one glinting back at hers in acknowledgement.

Silently, she stepped ahead, her staff ready for attack. Her guard was up, the witch jumping at the quietest squeak before realising it had come from a door hinge.

She glanced over her shoulder again, only to hear Hunter's soft chuckle. The girl felt her ears turn a light shade of pink at his reaction until she heard echoes of whispers from the floor above where they stood.

"Someone's here," She muttered, Hunter frowning.

"Wait, how can you tell? I don't hear anything."

"What? Really? I think they're whispering pretty loudly right now—"

"Georgia, look out!"

The silver-masked witch was pushed behind her friend as a smoke bomb landed before them, the gas entering their lungs. Coughs racked through their bodies as two figures dashed out the door.

"You two! Stop right there!" Hunter yelled out, his words falling on deaf ears as Georgia's eyes widened.

"Hunter," She called out to him. "Go chase them down. I'll see if they left anything behind."

He looked at her hesitantly, her eyebrows furrowing deeper.

"Go!"

Hearing her voice raised, he nodded as he ran off after the two, leaving Georgia alone. Her eyes darted towards a staircase when his figure left her peripheral vision.

Silently, she took a step up, her staff raised in caution.

Her anxiety rose with every step up as more and more light was cast from her figure, her knuckles turning white under her black, silver-tipped gloves.

As she reached the final few steps she noticed that the two figures had left in a hurry, smoke from a lamp they lit still lingering in the air, the flame blown out only seconds before. The glass of the item was shattered, dropped presumably.

Next to the candle was a lump. Georgia couldn't tell what it was, not when the place lacked light, the windows were all boarded up.

She neared the item cautiously, staff raised. Her glare softened into confusion when she spotted the familiar fabric gifted to her before being taken away by a small phoenix.

"Finn..." She muttered, kneeling next to the object.

As she picked up the plush from the ground, a small piece of paper fell from the toy's collar. Frowning, the girl picked up the note as well, seeing that it was addressed to her in a somewhat curly manuscript.

She flipped the card around, her eyes widening at the text.

"Meet us at the bridge by the marketplace at midnight tomorrow. Come alone. Tell no one."

- X

"And I'm assuming that whoever I met previously is 'X' then..." She muttered to herself before casting a portal spell, her bedroom appearing on the other side.

The silver-masked witch walked through, hiding the plush under her bed again before walking back to where she was.

Hearing oncoming footsteps, she shut the portal, hands behind her back as Hunter's golden mask glinted in the light, two other scouts appeared behind him, and cloaked figures were in each of their hands.